First Place, 4th-6th Grade
Lesslie Haro, Age 11
Catawba Trail Elementary School

Columbia, SC—Twelve students and three schools will receive awards in this year’s Conservation Poster Contest sponsored by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District.  Student posters addressed the topic “Local Heroes—Your Hardworking Pollinators,” raising awareness about the important roles pollinators play in agriculture, the economy, and Earth’s ecosystems.  This year’s winners are:

K-1st Grades
    First Place:  Susana Jeanette Vandelay, Pontiac Elementary School
    Second Place:  Grant Smith, Cutler Jewish Day School
    Third Place:  Harper Rogers-Regenthal, Harmony School

2nd-3rd Grades
    First Place:  Joseph A. Ravindran, Pontiac Elementary School
    Second Place:  Iyanna Zariah Broadus, Pontiac Elementary School
    Third Place:  Abbey Yejin Lee, Catawba Trail Elementary School

4th-6th Grades
    First Place:  Lesslie Haro, Catawba Trail Elementary School
    Second Place:  Jacintha S. Ravindran, Dent Middle School
    Third Place:  Harvey Trey Brown, Catawba Trail Elementary School

7th-9th Grades
    First Place:  Hailey Ann Chaisson, Longleaf Middle School
    Second Place:  Carolina Cecilia Rosario, Longleaf Middle School
    Third Place:  Autumn Marie Nugent, Longleaf Middle School

School Spirit Awards
    AC Moore Elementary School , Teacher Nancy Frick
    Cutler Jewish Day School, Teacher Britney Hinson
    Harmony School, Teacher Jennifer Mancke

Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, hummingbirds, and bats can be considered heroes because of the many ecosystem services they perform.  Three-fourths of the world’s flowering plants depend on pollinators to reproduce, and approximately one in three mouthfuls of food and drink requires a pollinator for its production.  Pollinators contribute more than 24 billion dollars to the US economy; honey bees alone account for more than 15 billion dollars.  Mammals from voles to grizzly bears depend on insect-pollinated fruits and seeds, and one-fourth of all birds consume the fruits and seeds of plants that depend on animal pollinators.  Pollinators themselves are an important part of the food web and are eaten by animals such as birds, lizards, and spiders. 

The local Conservation Poster Contest is an annual education initiative sponsored by the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD).  “Conservation education is the foundation for understanding the importance of natural resources,” says newly-appointed Richland SWCD Commissioner Jeff Laney.  “This year’s topic is especially important because it’s easy to overlook the small creatures who play such important roles in the ecosystem.” 

For more information about the Conservation Poster Contest and other educational programs of the Richland SWCD, visit www.rcgov.us/rswcd or contact Chanda Cooper at (803) 576-2084.

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Conservation Districts are political subdivisions of state government under the local direction of five-member Boards of Commissioners. In South Carolina, Conservation District boundaries conform to County boundaries.  The Richland Soil and Water Conservation District promotes the wise use of natural resources for the benefit of the citizens of Richland County.

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